The importance of sound in theatre continues to grow at a rapid rate, and as audio technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, both Orbital and the NT are concerned that there is a skills shortfall, and that young people entering the industry have little experience of the latest technology.
The course was co-designed by the NT’s head of sound Rob Barnard and Orbital’s Simon Whitehorn as a ‘top-up’ to the very good, but basic training offered at drama schools. 20 candidates were nominated from drama schools nationwide to participate - at no expense to students or schools - in carefully structured classes, which were co-hosted by Orbital and The National’s staff. Building on the success of previous years, the course has gained national status, with students attending from as far afield as the Royal Welsh College of Music and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
The five-day programme covered a wide range of subjects, with the creative and conceptual workshops staged at The National, whilst the in-depth technical and practical sessions were held at Orbital’s headquarters. This year a particular emphasis was given to digital technology, production engineering and sound system design. Whitehorn commented: "The digital day gave us the opportunity to teach hands-on skills about a variety of emerging kit currently being specified on West End and touring productions. It’s the large format digital consoles like the Yamaha PM1D and Digico D5 that students at drama school don’t normally get the opportunity to use. Although many schools may have one or two samplers, each student was able to have an Akai sampler in front of them for our samplers and midi class."
Rob Barnard added: "Our aim is to help provide more advanced skills in addition to the very good training given at drama schools. It was thoroughly gratifying to see how the course has expanded with students attending from regional drama schools as well as those in London."
To further augment the hands-on approach, Orbital initiated a special project day, which involved the students creating their own performance of the opening scene of The Tempest. This was as much about learning the ‘production process’ as the end result, with the students undertaking various key roles in the production. The performance, staged in Orbital’s base in Brixton enabled the students to put theory into practice.
The course was rounded off at Orbital with advice on career paths in the theatre sound industry along with guidance about writing and presentation of CVs.
(Lee Baldock)
